Edge of Expendable 3: Love Gone Missing
by FictionWriter91
Summary: Since Eli was born, Lee and Rita haven't been the same. When Rita disappears, it's up to Lee and the Expendable Team to find her. They discover her disappearance is linked to William Cage, the man who helped end the Mimic War. Cage still has the ability to reset the day, and someone wants to use it. Will they find the villain and stop the unthinkable from happening in time?
1. Chapter 1

**Hello again! Here is my third story of this series. If you don't want to be confused or lost, I recommend you read the first two stories: Edge of Expendable, and Edge of Expendable 2: Ghosts of Lee's Past. This story will have a little bit more of Edge of Tomorrow stuff in it, but not that much extra. The Expendable gang is still front and center of this story, and you'll get to see how they handle a toddler! Happy reading!  
**

* * *

Lee Christmas never thought he'd be here in his life. At around three a.m., crying woke him up. It took him a moment to realize what was happening (it always did), and he sat up feeling suddenly very exhausted. He looked over at the sleeping form beside him, and he decided to go himself. He wandered down the hallway into the baby's room.

"Hey, you," he said, lifting his son out of the crib. "What's wrong, huh?" The crying immediately stopped, and Lee wondered if it was more of an attention thing. If he was alone in a cage, he'd cry too.

"Dada," the boy hiccupped. Lee couldn't help but smile. Eli was almost two years old, and he was figuring out his speech. Lee still marveled sometimes about the fact that he even had a son.

"Hey," a voice said behind him. He turned to see his wife, Rita Vrataski, standing in the doorway.

"He seems to be all right," Lee said as she came in. "I didn't want to wake you."

"You didn't have to. I just knew."

"Mother's intuition, eh?"

"You got it," Rita nodded. She placed her hand on Eli's head. He swiveled his gaze back and forth between them. Lee knew the kid had them exactly where he wanted them.

"He's dry and he's not hungry. I think he was just lonely," Lee explained. Rita gave a small snort of laughter.

"Aren't we all?" she commented. She took Eli from him then and settled him back under his blanket.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lee asked, knowing there was an underlying statement under her comment.

"Nothing. Go back to sleep," Rita replied. Lee watched her leaning over Eli's crib and wondered if he had made the right choice.

**A Little Over Two Years Ago**

_"You what?" Rita asked, surprised._

_"I'm out. I decided to stay here with you and raise our child," Lee repeated._

_"You just quit. Just like that? What did Barney say?"_

_"He understood."_

_"Are you sure this is what you want to do?"_

_"Of course. My family comes first."_

**Now**

Rita woke before Lee and looked at him for a moment while he was still sleeping. Ever since Eli was born, things between them had been different. It didn't help that their son had had colic and drove them to insanity most nights for the first while. Thank God for her mother. But somewhere along the way, Lee and Rita had lost a part of their old selves, and she wondered if they'd ever get it back. She slid out of bed so as not to disturb him, and she went downstairs. They had built a new home on their old property in England, and Rita would catch herself looking over her shoulder sometimes. She didn't want any more intruders after the last time. Thankfully, Lee had installed some security and cameras, so that helped a little. She made coffee and stood outside on their front porch, looking at their yard. It was decent. It also represented a yard where a family lived. Rita sometimes felt as though she could walk away from it all, and it made her feel terrible. She wouldn't trade Eli for anything in the world, but she also missed her old life.

...

"Damn, I miss Lee," Toll panted as they came flying out of the bush. Gunner, Doc, and Barney were running with him.

"Yea, me too," Barney replied. Bullets whizzed over their heads as they leaped into the waiting truck. Doc threw knives at the tires of the other trucks. Another mission complete, but Barney never felt the same ever since Lee had left to raise a family. He had even stayed over in Europe. Barney felt a slight sense of betrayal at this, but he also understood. A boy needs his father. The pictures were cute, and Lee looked happy, but Barney knew his friend well. Lee would eventually miss his old job.

**Two Years Ago**

_"You're doing great," Lee told her, gripping her hand tightly. "Almost there. You got this."_

_"Aaand here we are," the doctor said as the baby came out crying and shrieking. Lee wiped the sweat from Rita's forehead kissed her cheek._

_"Oh, dear," she said, tearing up when they put the bundle into her arms. Lee touched it softly. He felt strange, like this was happening to someone else and he was just watching._

_"Our son," she whispered._

_"Eli," Lee said, touching the baby's cheek. They'd agreed on that one a week earlier. Eli Brady Ross Hendricks. Barney had been touched. He hadn't blamed Lee at all for going with his last name instead of his first name._

_"Don't want kids thinking he's like that purple dinosaur," Barney had joked._

_"He's perfect. How did we get such a perfect baby?" Rita asked, looking at Lee then._

_"Because you are," Lee smiled at her._

**Now**

Lee opened his eyes and immediately knew that Rita was not beside him. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, debating on whether he would get up or just stay down for a while longer.

"Ah, shit!"

His decision was made. He got up quickly and headed down to where Rita was bent over wincing in pain.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Knife slipped," she muttered. She was clutching her one hand with the other. Lee saw drops of blood on the floor leading from the door.

"Let me see," he ordered. She straightened and turned to face him; he took her hand gently in his. She had sliced down the inside of her hand from her thumb to her wrist pretty good. He wondered how she had done that.

"What were you cutting?" he asked, looking around. There wasn't anything in sight.

"I wasn't cooking," she answered, not looking at him. Truth be told, she had been practising throwing knives. Her reminiscing had gotten the best of her. The tip of the blade had sliced her right after she had thrown it.

"I see," Lee said, pressing his lips together to stop from saying anything further. They walked to the bathroom together, Lee still holding her hand. He reached around for gauze and peroxide.

"This'll hurt," he warned, opening the cap.

"It's not my first time," she sighed. Then she grunted in pain as he poured it on her wound. She pressed her face into his bare chest, and Lee was startled for a moment. It was the first physical contact they'd had in a while now. He wondered if she realized it.

"There we go," he said softly, wrapping it up. When he was finished, she lifted her head and looked at it.

"That was stupid of me," she muttered. Lee moved to put everything away as she stood there staring at her hand.

"You wanna tell me why you were knife tossing?" he finally asked, shutting the drawer and staring at her. He wasn't a complete idiot. If she wasn't cooking with a knife, then she was throwing them.

"For old times," she answered sarcastically.

"Old times?"

"I dunno, for fun? It just happened."

"Rita..."

"Don't start," she warned. She went to move away from him when he grabbed her arms and pushed her against the door. Without saying anything, he kissed her hard. Rita was taken aback, and for a moment, she let him. It almost felt like before. Almost.

"Rita," he said when she pulled away.

"I'm sorry." She walked back to the kitchen.

"Do you still love me?" he called after her, making her stop in her tracks. She felt tears threatening to fall. Did she?

**One Year Ago**

_"I can't do this," Rita said, trying not to cry. "I can't do this anymore."_

_"I know it's hard. He'll grow out of it. They promised," Lee said while Eli screamed his head off in the background. Of course their child would be colic._

_"I can't sleep. I can't eat. Even when he's not here, I can't do those things," Rita said, gripping her head._

_"It's a phase. We'll get through. We always do," Lee promised, trying to hold her. She turned away. For some reason, she was angry at Lee, and she knew he had done nothing wrong. She felt as though she had lost herself._

_"Make him stop," she begged._

_"He senses you're upset. It's not helping," Lee started._

_"MAKE HIM STOP!" she shrieked. For a second, both Lee and Eli were startled into silence. Then Eli started wailing again._

_"Rita..."_

_"I gotta get out of here," she said, pushing past him._

_"Where are you going?"_

_"Anywhere but here!"_

_The panic squeezed her lungs tight, and she couldn't breathe. She burst out the door and into the darkness._

**Now**

That feeling of needing to get away was suddenly right there again like before. Rita didn't want to say that she resented Lee or Eli. She didn't. She just lost a part of herself and never managed to find it again.

"Do you still love me?" Lee repeated, looking at her intently.

"I, um, have to get groceries," she lied, grabbing her bag and heading for the door.

"Why can't you answer me?" Lee asked, chasing after her. "You're avoiding me."

"I'm just...I'm not in a great place right now..." she trailed off. She hurried to her car.

"Rita!"

"I'll be back later," she promised, getting in and starting the engine. She was crying now, wiping at her eyes furiously as she sped away. She wasn't even sure what was wrong with her. She just knew she had to get away.


	2. Chapter 2

Lee stared at the dust from her tires long after her car had disappeared. She couldn't answer his question. It scared him. Had they really fallen that far apart from each other? He had tried to keep things going; it had been her that had put the brakes on intimacy. He thought maybe it was her trauma, but she didn't talk about it as much as she did before. Her therapy had finished, and she claimed to be feeling better. Why, then, was she taking off instead of telling him she actually did love him? What had he done wrong?

"DADA!"

Lee heard his son's shouts and went up to get him. Eli was standing in his crib with his arms outstretched and his hands opening and closing rapidly.

"All right," Lee said, lifting him out. "Let's go then." He tried not to think about Rita. He didn't want to worry about their relationship right now. He just wanted her to come home.

...

Rita stopped when she reached her spot at the lake and got out. She just needed air, to breathe. She knew Lee would be back home and hurt, and she wanted to give him an answer, but she didn't know what to say to him. Where had it gone wrong? Ever since Eli, they'd drifted apart...mostly on her end. She didn't know why, but she was fairly certain that the part of herself she was looking for was inside of her somewhere. She just had to figure out how to unlock it. Lee was great as a father. He was always there and offered support. Why couldn't she tell him she loved him? She knew she did.

"Hey," a voice said. She turned, seeing a man standing there.

"Yes? What do you want?" she snapped. He started to chuckle.

"Boy, things never change, do they?"

"Excuse me?"

"Congratulations on your win in Verdun," he continued. Rita's mind searched her memory, and she suddenly found it. Her mind flashed back to the training room where he had stood before her and said those very same words.

"You," she said, pointing. "You are from the War."

"Yes."

"You said..."

"Maybe in another life," he finished for her. "Yes."

"Who are you?"

"I'm William Cage," he answered. "You and I killed the Omega and saved the world from annihilation."

...

"Hey," Barney answered his phone, seeing that it was Lee. "How are things?"

"Could be better. You?"

"Oh, you know," Barney said as he swerved to hit a man pointing a gun at his vehicle. "Not bad." He cleaned off his windshield quickly.

"Left! LEFT!" Toll shouted. Barney obeyed. Toll fired off some rounds out his window.

"Are you in the middle of something?" Lee asked, suspicious. The shouts and bullets gave it away.

"Just doing my job," Barney replied. He fired off some shots out his window as they passed by the gate.

"I can call you back..."

"It's all right. We're home free now anyway," Barney said as they crashed through the gate at full force.

"YEEAAA!" Gunner shouted.

"Jing-a-ling, jing-a-ling! Better luck next time!" Doc hollered back at the villains.

"So, what's new?" Barney asked casually, turning onto the road and flooring it.

"Rita left."

"What?!"

"She got upset and walked out. I don't know if she's coming back."

"What happened?"

"I really don't know, Barney. She hasn't been herself lately."

"You there with Eli alone?"

"Yea."

"You want some company?"

"No, it's all right."

"We're in Serbia," Barney said. "Just say the word..."

"I'll be all right. He's a toddler. He can't get up to too much trouble."

"Famous last words, my friend," Barney said, sticking a cigar into his mouth and lighting it. "Famous last words."

...

"We did what?" Rita asked, not hearing Cage correctly.

"I had the ability to reset the day, just like you did in Verdun, and we killed the Omega together," Cage repeated. She stared.

"And you're telling me this now because...?"

"Dr. Carter is looking for us," Cage replied. "He wants to use our knowledge and experience to finish his book."

"He's writing a book?"

"Yes."

"And he wants our stories?"

"Yes."

"I...I don't know," Rita said hesitantly. She still had no idea about what Cage was talking about.

"I'm doing it. I don't see the harm in it," Cage shrugged.

"How did you know I was here?" she asked, suddenly suspicious.

"Oh, I saw you leave your house and followed. I went there intending on seeing you today, but you left your place before I could get up the drive. I hope you're not scared..."

"I'm not," she cut him off. "Just making sure you're not stalking me."

Cage laughed out loud at this.

"No way. I've wanted to contact you for a while, but I knew you didn't remember me. Then this opportunity came along, and I told Dr. Carter I'd ask you if you'd come talk to him."

"I'll have to think about it."

"What's to think about?" Cage asked, puzzled.

"I have a family, Cage," Rita said pointedly. "I can't just up and take off."

"It's only for a few hours. He's here in London," Cage added.

"He is?"

"Yea. Come on. It'll be like old times," Cage grinned. After a moment of hesitation, Rita finally agreed.

...

"Mumma?" Eli asked. He asked it a lot. Lee couldn't seem to distract him anymore. He looked at the clock and sighed. Rita had been gone for almost five hours. He wasn't usually the worrying type, but something didn't feel right.

"MUMUMUMUMUM!" Eli howled, banging his fists.

"Soon, bud, real soon," Lee promised. He pulled out his phone to call Rita again. She still didn't answer. The feeling in the pit of his stomach wasn't good at all.

...

"You sure he's all right with us just dropping by?" Toll asked Barney. He sat up front with Barney in the plane now. He had been promoted to second in command until Lee came back. If Lee came back.

"He'll be fine with it. I sensed something was up when he called. I just wanna check things out," Barney replied. He landed his plane as smoothly as he could. When they had finally stopped and he was ready to get out, he turned to the others.

"Who's coming?"

"We'll all go. Why not?" Doc shrugged. "It's been a while since I've had competition. Sally wants to have some fun."

"Don't start any knife fights," Barney warned as he disembarked. For some reason, he felt worried about his friend, but he couldn't explain why.

...

"Lovely to see you!" Dr. Carter had crowed, hugging them both. Rita had felt a sense of familiarity and longing when she saw him. It had been too long. Now, they were sipping coffee and talking. She felt the vibration from her phone that another message had come in. She knew it was Lee. She just couldn't talk to him right now.

"I think reader's are going to love having a first person narrative," he was saying.

"I hope you're right," Rita chuckled. Cage smiled at her. She felt strange around him, like there was something he knew that she didn't, which turned out to be exactly the case. There was knocking at the door then, and Dr. Carter frowned.

"Who is that?" he asked, annoyed. When he pulled open the door, all hell broke loose.

...

"Surprise!" Barney said when Lee opened the door. Eli was on his hip. He stared at the scratched up, bloody men who were on the doorstep.

"What the hell?" Lee asked, laughing.

"We just wanted to say hi," Barney shrugged. "That all right?"

"Come on in," Lee said, moving out of the way.

"Bad," Eli said as Gunner passed, who snorted.

"I'm bad all right," Gunner nodded. Toll stopped to tickle Eli's toes, making him squeal with laughter.

"Never thought I'd see a domestic Lee Christmas," Doc commented as he came in last.

"Neither did I," Lee responded.

"You look tired, man," Toll said after he'd stopped teasing Eli.

"Not sleeping the greatest."

"That's too bad."

"Rita not back yet?" Barney asked. Lee shook his head. He had no idea where she was. His heart thumped loudly when he thought about it, so he tried not to.

"Maybe she just needed a day off," Toll said kindly. Lee just twisted his lips in response. The boys sat around the table, talking about their latest mission. Lee felt a little left out. He remembered those days.

"Beer?" he asked them. They all nodded and exclaimed in agreement. He went to get some when his phone vibrated. Frowning, he set Eli on the counter while he pulled it out and looked at it.

"What's wrong?" Barney asked, seeing his face.

"Rita's in trouble," Lee answered.

* * *

**FYI, for those who haven't seen Edge of Tomorrow, William Cage is played by Tom Cruise. Please leave a review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**This is my favorite chapter. I think you'll see why ;)**

* * *

Rita had barely gotten to click the side button on her phone three times before she'd been attacked. Within moments, she, Cage, and Dr. Carter were bound and on their knees side by side. She couldn't see the men's faces. They were all covered.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Dr. Carter spluttered.

"We can't have you spreading lies," one said. He seemed to be the leader.

"It's not lies," Cage argued. He looked angry and defiant.

"Doesn't matter. You can't publish this," the man said. He went to Dr. Carter's computer, taking it.

"NO!" he howled. "That's my life's work!"

"It's garbage," the man insisted. He gestured to his buddies. "Take them."

"Where are you taking us?" Rita asked, trying to remain calm.

"We have someone else who is very interested in hearing what you two have to say," the man responded. Rita felt very cold suddenly. She just somehow knew this was all going to end very badly. She desperately hoped Lee got her SOS message.

...

"Where is she?" Barney asked, coming to look at Lee's phone. He scanned the map. Rita had set up her phone to send him coordinates if something should happen to her. All she had to do was click her phone's side button three times.

"In the city," Lee answered. He knew he had to hurry. Then he remembered Eli. He looked at his son, who had his fingers in his mouth and was drooling.

"I can't leave him," he said.

"We'll watch him," Toll said instantly.

"We will?" Gunner asked, surprised.

"Yea, you and Barney go check it out. We'll stay here," Doc offered. Lee studied the three of them. It seemed like a bad idea, but he had no other options.

"Are you sure?" he asked, feeling unsure himself.

"I'm an uncle," Toll dismissed. "I can handle kids."

"As long as I don't have to hold him," Gunner commented.

"He won't get near my knives," Doc promised.

"All right," Lee caved. "But he better be in one piece when I get back." He gave them his usual scowl.

"He will be," Toll promised. Lee kissed his son goodbye before handing him over to Toll and headed out to the garage for his gear. Barney followed.

...

Rita was thrown about in the back of the car with Cage as they hit the bumps and went around corners wildly. She wished now she had told Lee something. If she never saw him again, all he'd remember is her walking way crying. She felt bad.

"This is ridiculous," Cage was saying. He was working on his bonds. "All because of a book."

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"You're the one who mocked me for not getting out of my restraints fast enough before," Cage said, looking at her. "What's it look like I'm doing?"

"I'm already free," she smirked. He made a face.

"Of course you are."

She was just waiting for the right moment before she escaped. Then she'd get a hold of Lee. She knew that if he got her coordinates, he'd already be on his way to Dr. Carter's.

...

"Who is this?" Barney asked, peering at the body on the floor. Lee felt his stomach twist.

"That's Dr. Carter," he replied.

"Who?"

"He...he was an expert on alien Mimics. During the War."

"Ah."

Lee looked around at the mess. Rita had been here. Why had she been here? He didn't understand. There was nothing here to help him. He felt bad the man had died. Perhaps he had been working on something he shouldn't have been? It didn't make sense. How did it involve Rita?

...

"What does he want?" Gunner asked, looking at Eli. The boy was sitting on the floor and looking back and forth between the three of them.

"I'm not sure," Doc answered, thinking.

"He probably wants some toys," Toll said, going and finding some. He pulled out a stuffed Teddy. "Here we are."

"You're serious?" Gunner asked. He had zero experience with children. He didn't know what to do with them.

"A woochie woochie woo," Toll said, waving the stuffed animal around Eli. Doc and Gunner stared as he continued to talk gibberish. Eli loved it. He giggled and squealed.

"You've lost your damn mind," Gunner accused.

"Have not," Toll shot back. He loved entertaining kids. They made him smile.

"Whoa," Doc said, catching a whiff of something foul. "What is that?"

"Smells like a poop," Toll answered. Eli was almost crossing his eyes from the effort.

"Oh, God," Gunner moaned. "Not it!"

"Not it!" Doc yelped at the same time. Toll rolled his eyes.

"All right," he said, picking up Eli. "Let's try to figure this out." He was good at most things, but he never had mastered The Diaper.

...

As soon as the hatch opened, Rita and Cage leaped at their captors. Cage twisted the man's arm, forcing him to drop his gun while Rita drop kicked the other. They picked up the fallen guns, and Cage shot the driver. Then they fled. The leader wasn't with them. He'd gone separately with his other goons.

"Where are we going?!" Rita shouted, running after Cage.

"Somewhere safe so we can figure this out!" Cage shouted back. Rita didn't argue. She just wanted to get this over with. At the same time, though, her adrenaline was pumping, and she was enjoying being back in action. She didn't even think about Lee.

...

They couldn't find any clues. Lee was frustrated, but he had to get back home before dark. He'd go back out later to look once Eli was asleep. He didn't trust the other three to get him down to sleep. Eli was a little tricky about bedtime.

"I'm sure it won't take long to find enemies of Dr. Carter," Barney pointed out.

"That's the thing, though. He didn't have any. He was a scientist."

"Well, someone didn't like him," Barney gestured to the body on the floor. Shaking his head, he went out to the truck. Lee took one last look around before joining him. Lee was quiet until they got back home. Rita was not there like he'd hoped. When they got inside, Lee stopped short.

"What the hell is that?" he asked, looking at Eli. Toll's head popped up from where he was hiding. Eli loved peekaboo.

"He's fine," Toll said, indignant.

"What am I even looking at?" Lee demanded, coming over to look at his son. Eli looked up at him and gurgled.

"Mr. Genius thought it was a good idea," Doc commented from his chair.

"I said it wouldn't work," Gunner added.  
"And you were wrong," Toll pointed out. "It works just fine."

"You duct taped my son," Lee said in disbelief.

"Just his diaper," Toll argued. Barney worked hard to keep his laughter down.

"Duct tape?!" Lee said again, staring at him.

"I couldn't get the tabs to stay done up," Toll said defensively.

"He gave him candy too," Doc told Lee.

"You said you wouldn't tell!" Toll spluttered.

"What kind of candy?" Lee demanded.

"Just some chips. He was hungry."

"Way to go, Toll," Barney said. "You started a baby on salty snacks. Now he's gonna want them all the time."

"I gave him carrots too!" Toll gestured. Lee noticed a bunch of rejected carrots on the floor with teeth marks in them.

"Bedtime," Lee said firmly, picking up Eli. He should have known better than to leave those three goons watching his son. He was amazed the house was even still standing. He needed to come up with a plan and fast.

...

"What do you mean, they got away?" Rick growled. His accomplices looked scared suddenly.

"They somehow got free and attacked our guys. They're missing," one said.

"Cody."

"Yes, sir."

"Go find them," Rick ordered. "Kill the woman if you have to, but the man has to be alive."

"Got it."

Rick watched them go, and he sat back in his chair. William Cage had the power of the Omega, he knew he did. With that power, Rick fully intended on committing a crime. He had it all figured out. He also had it all written down so he wouldn't forget. Everything was planned. Now he just needed Cage.

* * *

**Can anyone else see the guys behaving this way with a toddler? lol Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

"Who is behind this?" Rita asked when they made it to a motel safely. Cage shut the blinds and locked the door. He rubbed his hands through his hair. He didn't know how to respond. Rita sat in the chair, watching him.

"I don't know," he finally answered. "If they're after us..." He didn't finish the sentence. He averted his gaze.

"You don't think they'll go after Eli?" Rita asked, feeling afraid suddenly.

"They might do it to make you cooperate."

"Oh my God," she gasped. She reached for the phone.

"What are you doing?" Cage asked immediately.

"I have to call Lee and warn him..."

"They could be tracing your house calls. You'd be giving them a head's up."

"I have to tell him!" Rita insisted. Although, she knew her husband and what he was capable of. Chances were he'd be fine. It was Eli she was worried about.

"It's not a smart move," Cage said, putting his hand over hers on the phone, preventing her from picking it up.

"Then we'll go there," she declared, getting up.

"Rita..."

"They're my _family_, Cage! What would you do?" she demanded. He hesitated.

"All right. We go and tell them. Then we make a plan," Cage added.

"For what?"

"I don't even know."

"Come on," she said, going out the door. She suddenly felt very much alive.

...

Lee was about to turn off the light to Eli's room when he saw the shape outside the window. He paused only for a second before turning it off and closing the door, staying inside the room. He stood stock still while the intruder unlocked the window and slid it open. When he was started coming into the house, Lee struck.

"Gaaaah!" the man screamed as Lee slammed the window down on his neck a few times and shoved him back out. Looking down, he saw other men swarming the house.

"Shit," he said. He grabbed Eli, who squawked in protest, out of his crib and yanked the door open. Bullets started breaking the windows, and he stopped on the stairs, waiting it out.

"Lee?!" Barney's voice came. It was more of a question of what to do.

"Shoot 'em!" Lee shouted back.

"Got it."

Lee hurried around the corner and kept low to the ground while Doc, Toll, Gunner, and Barney set to work on the intruders. He grabbed the car seat and plopped Eli into it. The toddler was in awe of everything going on.

"If I'd known this kind of stuff kept you quiet, I'd have put on a show for you before," Lee said, shaking his head. Eli was truly his son.

"You ready?!" Toll shouted over the noise.

"Yea!"

"Cover me!" Gunner hollered. He went out first, still shooting. Doc and Toll followed while Barney brought up the rear, keeping Lee in the middle. They beelined for Barney's jeep, and they covered Lee while he got in with Eli.

"Hold on!" Barney shouted, throwing the vehicle into gear and flying out of the driveway. Bullets hit the jeep as they passed more men.

"Who the hell are those guys?!" Toll asked. Gunner fired some more shots out the window as they drove.

"I have no idea, but I bet they've got something to do with Rita's disappearance," Lee replied. Then, he got an idea.

...

"So, you can't die?" Rita clarified after Cage finished. He shook his head.

"The Omega's blood got into my system after it died. I didn't realize I had it until I was in a big motorcycle accident. I woke up 24 hours earlier, and then I knew."

"How many times have we done this?" Rita asked suddenly, feeling nervous.

"This? Just this time. I have no idea what's going on," Cage promised. "I don't even know how they would suspect I have the ability. I never told anyone but you and..." He trailed off, suddenly realizing.

"Dr. Carter," Rita confirmed.

"Yea," he said quietly.

"So, that means they really just want you," Rita went on, getting it. "I just happened to be with you."

Cage looked at her then.

"I never thought of that," he winced. They got closer to her house, and she immediately knew something was wrong.

"Stop!" she ordered the cab driver. The lurched to a halt.

"What's wrong?" Cage asked, craning his neck.

"We're too late," she whispered.

"Get us out of here," Cage told the driver after seeing what Rita had seen. They turned around and sped back to the city. Rita had no idea if Eli was safe or if Lee was still alive. She felt the choking fear then. She would never forgive herself if something had happened to either of them and she never got to say she loved them, because she did. She really did.

...

"Who are you working for?!" Lee demanded again. Barney slugged the guy they were holding. Lee had instructed Toll to keep driving while he and Barney collected an intruder to get information. They'd catch up with him and the others at the meet point.

"I don't know! I don't know!" the man wailed.

"What do you wanna do?" Barney asked. Lee cracked his knuckles.

"I want to kill him," he growled. The man whimpered.

"Please, please don't..."

"Tell me who's behind this, and I won't," Lee said. After a moment, the man bowed his head.

"Rick."

"Rick who?"

"Rick Douglas. He...he's planning something."

"What?"

"A robbery I think. I don't know!"

"Where?"

"I don't know that either. I only know that it's big, and he needs The Ability."

"What ability?"

"He never said. He just calls it The Ability. Someone named William Cage."

"All right," Lee said, dropping the man. "Let's go."

"We got it?"

"We got it."

...

Cage tapped his fingers on his leg nervously. Rita was looking out the window, and he could tell she was upset. He wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know what to say. He still felt the same connection with her as he had during the War. She was different, and, if he really thought about it, so was he, but it was a good different. He was disappointed she was married.

"If your husband is as good as you say he is, then he'll be fine," Cage reassured her.

"Mmhmm," she replied. She didn't know what to say. She couldn't get the image of Lee's incredibly hurt expression from that morning out of her mind. He was probably worried sick about her, especially if he went to Dr. Carter's. That's if he was even still alive. She hurt just thinking about it.

"Stop here," Cage instructed the driver as they neared their motel room. Rita got out numbly and headed for the door. Cage went in behind her, and they stood in silence once the door closed.

"Why would someone need you?" Rita asked suddenly, thinking. "What use would you be?"

"Obviously something bad," Cage mused, getting on board with her line of thinking. "Something you'd need the ability to redo over again if needed."

"But how? You'd remember it and avoid it," Rita said logically. "It doesn't make sense."

"Unless they've got it all planned out and would remember themselves. All they'd have to do is catch me before I have the chance to leave," Cage reasoned.

"Maybe we should reset," Rita said. Cage looked at her, shocked. She, however, had her own selfish reasons. If they reset, she could avoid having hurt Lee. Then again, she wouldn't remember this even happened...

"No way," Cage said vehemently.

"So what do we do then? Hide here until they find us?" she demanded, crossing her arms.

"We need to figure out the connection with Dr. Carter," Cage said, moving to the other side of the room. There happened to be a computer on the desk.

"Why would they say he's spreading lies if they knew it was true and wanted you for themselves?" Rita questioned, confused.

"They probably didn't want him to publish his book because if they use me for their crime, the law enforcement will know how they did it," Cage said, getting it.

"This is terrible."

"I know," Cage agreed. He started surfing the Web. Rita looked out into the darkness and closed the curtain. She felt like they were being watched.

...

"We find this Cage guy, and we might find Rita," Lee said as they drove. Eli was sleeping in the backseat between Toll and Gunner, his little head lolling back and forth as they turned and hit bumps. Doc was crammed in the back. Lee could tell he wasn't pleased.

"Do they know each other?" Barney asked. Lee hesitated. He had never told them about Rita's ability to reset the day.

"I think so. From the War," Lee answered slowly. "When I was in the coma and missing in action. Presumed dead."

"What did that guy mean when he said 'The Ability?'" Barney questioned. Lee sucked his cheeks. He guessed it was now or never.

"The alien force that was trying to take over the world are sequestered into Mimics, Alpha Mimics, and the Omega."

"The Omega being like the head honcho?" Toll asked from the back, getting it.

"Exactly. It controlled the Mimics and Alphas."

"What was the difference between the two?" Gunner asked.

"Mimics were smaller. Alphas shared the ability with the Omega to reset the day 24 hours back if they died. It helped them win battles as they could change things that went wrong before," Lee finished. There was a stunned silence in the car.

"Holy shit," Toll eventually said. "So, that's why they were winning?"

"Yea."

"What's it got to do with Cage?" Barney asked, redirecting them back to the topic.

"I think he got infected with Alpha's blood and could reset the day," Lee replied carefully.

"Wait, humans can get that ability?" Doc asked. It creeped him out a little.

"Yes."

"Rita must have had it too, right? That's why you're thinking they're together," Barney said, looking at Lee, who knew he should have known his friend was smart.

"Yea."

"How could she have had it?" Toll asked, confused.

"She stole it when an Alpha died on top of her. She lived 300 extra days trying to find the Omega and kill it," Lee answered, looking back at them. Toll gaped while Gunner simply stared. They were both shocked.

"Damn," Doc muttered.

"She lost it when she was badly wounded and was given a blood transfusion. When I woke up and heard the war was over, I had assumed she had won it. She claimed she hadn't, that someone else had."

"Cage," Barney nodded.

"I'm beginning to think so," Lee sighed.

"It's a hell of an ability to have," Barney said. "Anyone would want it."

"I'll ask Drummer to look into Rick Douglas," Toll offered. "See what he's all about."

"Go for it," Barney nodded. "Have him look up William Cage too."

"On it."

...

Rick was fuming. They lost Cage and the woman and now the baby. Did he have a completely useless team or what? He was getting impatient. His plan needed to be executed very quickly. His window of opportunity was getting almost extinct.

"I found them," Cody said, entering the room.

"Where?"

"Motel downtown."

"Then get them!"

"On our way."

Rick leaned back in his chair, feeling hopeful again. Maybe it wasn't all over after all.

* * *

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	5. Chapter 5

"I can't find anything," Cage sighed. He'd been on the internet for hours. Nothing was coming up. Nothing suspicious anyway.

"I think we should get out of here," Rita said.

"Why?"

"I just have this feeling," she answered, peeking out around the curtain. It was almost too quiet outside.

"All right. Go get us a cab while I check us out," Cage said. Rita went outside and hurried to grab a waiting cab. She turned back to look for Cage only to see men in black creeping towards their room.

"Cage," she whispered. It was too late to shout. She contemplated what to do. She barely knew the man. She had a family she needed to find, but she didn't want him to just be slaughtered only to be brought back to do this over again.

"Are we going or not?" the driver asked, impatient.

"Not," Rita answered. She moved into the darkness, pulling out her gun.

...

Barney was driving down the street when they heard shots being fired. He looked at Lee.

"Could be a coincidence," he said.

"Nevertheless, let's check it out," Lee responded.

"I'll drive around," Toll offered. Gunner and Doc got out as well while Toll switched with Barney.

"Don't get lost," Barney ordered.

"I won't."

"Come on," Lee said as Toll drove away with Eli. He tried not to worry about his son. They walked towards the motel, and Lee just knew he'd find what he was looking for there.

"BITCH!" a man shouted. Lee's heart wrenched when he saw a woman getting punched. He knew it was his Rita.

"Hold up," Barney said, grabbing his shoulder before he could bolt into it. "Charging right in won't help. Plan it out."

"Hurry up," Lee growled. He saw another man getting pummeled then, and he knew it had to be Cage.

"Doc, two on the left. Gunner, two on the right. Lee, down center. I'm right behind you," Barney said, releasing him. Lee shot out of his grip like a bullet from a gun. He ran into the fray, grabbing the first guy by the hair and snapping his neck. He dodged bullets but was too late. Rita was hauled away.

"Who are you?" Cage asked when Barney finished off the last guy trying to take him down. Lee charged over to him, angry.

"I'm the guy whose wife is probably going to die because of you," Lee snarled. Cage blanched.

"You're Lee."

"The one and only. Where are they going?"

"I don't know. They wanted me, not her. I don't understand what's happening," Cage said, roughly swiping his hand at his face.

"We can still get her," Barney said as Toll drove up. Lee was already moving on foot. Cage ran after him.

"That guy is gonna get killed," Gunner commented.

"Let's go," Barney instructed as they got in. Eli was awake now and garbling at everyone. Barney gave him his finger to hold and felt some kind of emotion stir inside of him. He'd never had any children. So this is what it felt like.

"Should we really be following? With the baby?" Toll asked, driving carefully but fast at the same time.

"You're right. Stop off and get a room. We'll go help Lee."

"You're talking to Toll, right?" Doc asked. "Cos no offense but I'm not cut out for that shit."

"Me either," Gunner agreed.

"It's fine," Toll said. "I'll do it."

"Thanks, man," Barney said, patting Toll's shoulder. They did the exchange quickly. Toll carted the car seat and baby to a new motel. Barney hoped they would catch up to Lee soon.

...

"What the hell is this?" Rick asked, staring at the woman who was still trying to fight Cody off her.

"He'll come for her," Cody answered. "I promise you that."

"How can you be so sure? We should just kill her now. I don't need her," Rick said, eyeing her up.

"He'll come," Cody said firmly.

"You better be right," Rick warned. "I'm not afraid of ending your life."

Cody chose to ignore this as he slammed Rita down. He didn't allow the feelings of fear to surface. It would distract him.

...

Cage chased after Lee, marveling at how fast the guy was. They had lost sight of the car, but Lee wasn't giving up. Eventually, he stopped running.

"I'm sorry," Cage started. Lee spun and punched him right in the face. Cage bent over, feeling like he'd been hit by a mac truck.

"AAARRGGH!" he hollered.

"I don't know who the hell you are," Lee hissed. "But you had no right to get her involved in this!"

"I don't even know what's going on!" Cage spluttered, gripping his nose tightly.

"It's got something to do with your ability to reset the day," Lee raged. "Rick Douglas was an assistant to Dr. Carter. That's how he knows you still have it." Drummer had found that out pretty quick. He was on alert now too for what was potentially going down. Drummer didn't have much on Cage, though, which was unhelpful.

"That doesn't mean I know what he's planning," Cage said defensively. "Chill out."

"I will not 'chill out' until I find Rita," Lee snapped. He surged ahead then. Cage stared after him in shock, but he recovered and hurried after him. He could kind of see why Rita ended up marrying this man. He didn't take anyone's shit either.

...

Barney eventually caught up with Lee and Cage and parked the jeep. He got out and came over to Lee, who was now sitting on the curb with his head in his hands.

"It'll be all right," Barney reassured him, standing next to him.

"I failed her," Lee said quietly. "I thought that if we just kept out of this business and lived our lives with our son that nothing like this would happen again." He was trying not to remember the last time they had almost gotten killed in Germany.

"It's not your fault," Barney said. "You can't control everything."

"I should have stopped her from leaving. None of this would have happened."

"Lee, you can't change the past."

"You're right," Lee said, looking up at Cage. "But _he_ can."

"Oh no," Cage said, holding his hands up while Lee stood and approached him, gun in hand. "No, no, no!"

"Lee, stand down," Barney ordered.

"If I kill you, you could stop this from happening," Lee said, not listening to Barney. "I won't remember it, and neither will Rita, but you will. You can prevent this."

"Let's just take a moment to think about how ridiculous this is," Cage said, putting his hand in front of his face. "This Rick guy probably will be waiting to ambush me if I did reset. He knows how it works, so I imagine he's got a plan in case I decide to off myself."

"But Rita wouldn't be involved," Lee insisted. It was really all that mattered to him. He didn't care about Cage one bit.

"But then we wouldn't be able to stop Rick from doing whatever it is he's planning on doing," Cage argued. "We can do that now. Together."

"He's right, Lee," Barney said. Truth be told, he was unnerved by the idea of going back 24 hours and not remembering this happened. It would also put him back in the middle of his mission in Serbia. He didn't want that. He didn't think they'd be that lucky twice.

"Hey, man, it's not worth it," Doc said gently. Lee eventually lowered the gun, but he was still staring at Cage.

"You love her," Lee said, getting it. Cage shook his head.

"No-"

"Don't lie to me. You have feelings for my wife," Lee went on.

"It was a long time ago. I respect that you are with her," Cage started.

"You better respect that," Lee said, moving closer so they were nose to nose. "I'm not afraid of putting you in your place. What did you do with her tonight, huh?"

"Nothing," Cage answered. "Nothing. She insisted we find you. She made it clear she was with you. Come on, man, I'm not trying to ruin your relationship. I swear to God."

"Is this the first time you've been here?" Lee demanded. "Or how many other times have you tried to steal my wife?"

"I haven't! I don't want-" Cage stopped, pinching the bridge of his nose, which stung from Lee's punch still. "This is the first time we're doing this. I'm not after Rita, man. Seriously."

"Let it go," Barney said. "If he means it, he means it."

"I do," Cage nodded vigorously. Lee scowled and turned away.

"What do we do now?" Barney asked Cage.

"I imagine they will use Rita to get to me since everyone seems to think I'm in love with her," Cage sighed. "We wait until they find me."

"How long will that take?"

"Not long if I go somewhere public," Cage said, moving then.

"Where are you going?" Lee asked.

"To a bar," Cage answered. It seemed like a place he'd get caught at pretty quick.

...

"There's a good boy," Toll said as Eli's eyes started to droop again. Toll had played puppets for a while, hoping to tire the kid out. It had worked eventually. He hadn't heard anything from Barney, so he assumed they were still trying to save Rita. He felt tired himself then, and he knew he wouldn't be long before he fell asleep. He triple checked that the room was secure before giving in to sleep.

"Uncle," Eli sighed in his sleep. Toll smiled, feeling warm in his heart suddenly.

"That's right. I'm your uncle," he agreed. Lee's son was too damn cute. He would protect that kid if it meant losing his own life.

* * *

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	6. Chapter 6

Rita was in a sitting position in a basement, arms tied behind her back. She was exhausted and emotional. She had no idea what had happened to Cage or where he was. If he fled, she'd be killed. She thought of Lee again. She wished she hadn't been such a coward. She should have talked to him long before this. Maybe today wouldn't have happened if they had.

"Today's your lucky day," Rick said as he walked by her with his chumps. "They found Cage at a bar."

Rita wondered if it was a set up, but she kept it to herself. Obviously there was some reason Cage was making it easy to find him.

...

Lee watched as Cage was accosted by the bar. He went without a fight, as planned, and Lee waited a moment before following. He got into the jeep with the others as the car with Cage in it took off. Barney followed.

"This is it," Barney said.

"Make sure Cage isn't killed," Lee instructed. "I don't want to do this again."

"I hear you."

Gunner and Doc were silent in the back. They didn't know what to say anyway.

...

Rick smiled at Cage, who was kneeling in front of him.

"You're a hard man to find," he noted.

"I don't always come willingly," Cage retorted.

"It's all good. You're probably wondering why you're here," Rick said.

"I bet it's got something to do with something bad," Cage said sarcastically.

"You're quite right," Rick agreed. "You are going to help me take over England."

"You can't be serious," Cage growled.

"I am. With your special talent, there's no way I'd lose. Oh, and if you think you can just get away after you reset, you can think again. I had people posted at your place yesterday. They will get you if you try to run."

"Let Rita go," Cage ordered.

"Oh she's nothing to me. She can sit tight until we're done. Then I'll deal with her."

"You'd be smarter to let her go now," Cage insisted. He knew Lee and the gang were outside by now.

"Unfortunately for you, you don't get to decide that," Rick sneered.

"You're right," Cage agreed. "But Lee does."

"Who?" Rick asked, confused. Then, the door blew open.

...

Rita heard the commotion upstairs and knew something was up. She struggled to her feet, waiting for someone to come get her. She'd put up a real fight first. She stood at the bottom of the stairs in position to attack. No one was taking her alive. Pounding down the stairs made her heart freak out. This was it.

"Agh!" she shouted, throwing herself at the intruder. Taken by surprise, the person grunted and fell sideways with Rita on top. Rita head butted him and went to knee him when he forced her off. She landed hard on her back, crying out. She started to kick out at the person, shouting for all she was worth.

"RITA!" A light was flashed in her eyes, blinding her.

She thought she was hallucinating. She stopped kicking. For a second she thought it was...

"Geez, Rita," Lee said, bending down to her level and picking her up. "I had no idea your head was that hard." His eyes were watering after her attack. He should have known his wife wouldn't go down without a fight. After recognizing him, Rita teared up.

"Lee," she gasped. He undid her bonds, and she flung her arms around him, squeezing him tightly.

"It's all right," he said, burying his face into her neck.

"I thought you were dead," she cried. "I saw the house..."

"Barney and friends were there," Lee told her. "They weren't expecting that welcome."

"Eli...?"

"He's with Toll safe and sound."

"Oh thank God."

"Are you hurt?" Lee asked urgently. She shook her head.

"Just my pride," she answered. She grabbed his face with her hands then. "Lee, I do. I do love you. I'm so sorry I didn't say it before."

"It's all right..."

"No. I've been thinking of nothing else all night. I was an idiot. I was lost. I know exactly where I need to be now," she went on. "With you. And Eli. Nothing else matters." She kissed him then, wanting him to know she meant it all. After a moment, Lee gained back his train of thought and pulled away from her. He very much wanted to finish that, but now was not the time.

"We have to go," Lee said. "Rick escaped with Cage. We gotta find him." He led her to the exit.

"He's going to kill the Prime Minister," Rita told him as they went up the stairs. "He's going to take over England one person at a time."

"He thinks he's going to," Lee responded. "He's not going to get far."

Rita didn't voice her fear of Cage being reset. If that happened, none of them would remember this.

...

Cage wondered if Lee had gotten Rita out. He hadn't realized how much the guy loved his wife until seeing him charge into that house. Cage felt a little guilty for having thoughts that Rita would maybe want to be with him instead. Rick was beside him, finalizing the details to his plan. They were driving somewhere only God knew. Cage hoped Rita and her pals would get to him soon before something really bad happened.

...

"You are not coming with me," Lee argued. Rita had her hands on her hips, staring at him.

"Yes, I am."

"What about Eli?"

"He's with Toll, you said."

"Yes, but he's been wanting you ever since you left," Lee pointed out. Rita felt bad, but she also knew she had to finish this. It would be her last time being reckless.

"I have to do this," Rita said.

"What about our son? What will happen if we're both dead?" Lee said aggressively. The others were doing their best not to eavesdrop or get involved.

"Then one of us can just shoot Cage," Rita said, looking at him. He stared back.

"No," he said. "Real life doesn't work that way." He wondered why she was fighting so hard to go with them. It obviously had something to do with Cage.

"Why don't we plan it so that neither of you is alone in this fight," Barney said finally. "We've survived much worse than this."

"He's right," Doc chimed in.

"Can you give us a minute?" Lee asked, annoyed that they were even listening.

"We'll be outside," Barney said, signaling the others. Once they were gone, Lee turned back to Rita.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Is it Cage?" he went on.

"What? No," she shook her head.

"Are you sure?"

"Lee, I just told you how much I love you," she argued. "Why on Earth would I do that if I was after Cage?"

He studied her, knowing she was right, but he couldn't get the image of Cage out of his head. He knew the guy liked his wife, and it bugged the hell out of him. It would kill him if Rita liked Cage back that way. She gazed at him, knowing he was thinking this.

"Lee," she started.

"I know," he cut her off. "I'm being ridiculous. It's just...you two share the same experience that I never will. That kind of thing makes people get closer together, you know?"

"Cage is experiencing what I did with you," Rita said carefully. "He watched me die countless times. He had the advantage of getting to know me while I remember nothing about him. The only difference is, I did not spend time with him prior to it all nor did I have feelings for him before it happened like you did for me, so I did not pursue him after it was over. Besides, you came back, and that's all I ever wanted." She reached out and touched his cheek. Lee gave her a grim smile finally, and she ran her thumb along his jawline.

"I want to do this because Cage doesn't deserve to die or be a part of whatever is going on. It's merely a soldier rescuing a fellow soldier. Leave no man behind, right?" she finished, cocking her head. Even though he knew it was wasting time, he took her hands and pulled her to him, kissing her deeply and wanting to just erase everything that was going on around them.

"I trust you," he said after, their foreheads touching.

"Ahem," Barney coughed, getting their attention. "Are we going or what?"

"Coming," Rita said, pulling away from Lee then. He walked behind her, wishing he was anywhere but here right now. It was beginning to look like his wife had finally returned.

* * *

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	7. Chapter 7

**There is some action in this chapter. Trigger warning in effect.**

* * *

Rick knew it was risky to start this mission right now, but he didn't realize he'd have a bunch of mercenaries on his ass, and all because of the woman. Rick looked at Cage heavily, considering resetting him. They would kill her immediately next time. Better yet, they would grab Cage at home and avoid all of this.

"I know what you're thinking," Cage said, seeing Rick looking at him. "Once they have her, they won't chase after you."

"I'm not an idiot," Rick snapped. "They know something is up, and they'll be on us." He pulled out his gun.

"Don't-"

"I think we've had enough for today," Rick said, aiming it.

"Sir," Cody said from the front. "There's no one behind us. No one is tracking us. If I may, I think you're overreacting a little."

Rick hesitated, his eyes still on Cage's.

"We see how far we can get, and if there's trouble, we kill him," Cody added. "Piece of cake."

"All right," Rick said, lowering his gun. He didn't really want the mess in his van anyway.

...

"Okay if you were trying to take over England, where would you start?" Barney asked as they drove. Lee was at the wheel with Rita beside him.

"He's going to kill the Prime Minister," Rita repeated herself from earlier. "He'll go there first."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, no, but we should at least warn them."

"He'll probably target the Royals at some point," Doc said. Rita felt a vice wrap around her throat. She hadn't thought of that.

"Here they are," Gunner said suddenly. Everyone but Lee turned to stare at him.

"What do you mean, 'here they are?'" Barney asked.

"While you guys were inside, I stuck a tracker on the bottom of their van," Gunner shrugged as though it was no big deal.

"You've been hanging out with Thorn too much," Doc chuckled. Their younger team member and tech guy was always showing off his new toys.

"It seemed logical," Gunner insisted.

"So where are they?" Lee asked, interrupting.

"Heading for the edge of the country," he said, turning the screen to show them. "Why would he go there?"

...

"We've had this planned out for months," Rick bragged. Cage looked around as they walked and felt confused. Where were they?

"The Royals will never see it coming," Rick smirked.

"No," Cage said, balking. "I'm not going to be any part of this."

Rick punched him in the face then, hard. When Cage looked back, he punched him again.

"You're in it now," he sneered.

"I'd rather die."

"You'll get your chance soon enough."

Cody came up behind Cage and grabbed him by the neck, shoving him forward. Rick and his team walked into the house as the sun started to come up. Cage had no idea what was going to happen next.

...

Lee pulled into the drive carefully. They parked near the end and got out. Rita could hear the ocean crashing into the rocks. It was definitely one of the most isolated spots of the country.

"What do you suppose is in that house?" Barney asked, cutting into their thoughts.

"We're about to find out," Lee answered, opening his door. The others walked ahead. Rita kept close to Lee. They gathered around the outside of the house, the bushes concealing them. Rita looked in a window and saw Cage strapped to a chair. His face was bleeding.

"Something's in the basement," Barney noted, seeing Rick go down there.

"Cage is guarded," Doc pointed out.

"They'll leave him here so if something goes wrong, they can just shoot him," Rita said, realizing.

"Shall we?" Lee asked, looking at Barney.

"We shall," he nodded. "Gunner, stay out here with Rita." They moved towards the back door. Rita felt annoyed. She didn't want to stay out here. She didn't say anything, however, when Doc, Lee, and Barney disappeared into the house. Gunner kept his eye on the room with Cage in it. Then he reached and pulled at the window. To his surprise, it opened.

"Dumbasses," he chortled.

"What are you doing?" Rita asked.

"When all hell breaks loose, and it will, we go in through the window and get Cage," Gunner instructed. Rita nodded, understanding. They saw the guard run towards the commotion, which had started up pretty fast. Gunner threw open the window, and Rita went inside, hoisted up by Gunner.

"Rita," Cage said, shocked upon seeing her. She cut him loose, and they hurried back to the window. Gunner helped Cage down and then Rita.

"STOP!" a voice shouted.

"Run!" Rita cried. Gunner and Cage tore ahead to the jeep while Rita went back to find Lee. She wasn't leaving without him. She hit the ground when a man crashed through the full length window and went sailing over her head. She looked up to see Lee standing there scowling. Then he saw her.

"What are you doing?!" he yelled.

"We got Cage! Let's go!"

"We're gonna go stop Rick," Lee told her, gesturing. "He's dug a tunnel."

Rita got to her feet and went over to him, stepping over the broken glass. She avoided looking at the dead man on the ground with obvious knife wounds.

"I'm going with you," she said fiercely. Gunshots interrupted Lee's response, and they both turned to see Barney and Doc backing up to them.

"What the HELL is going on up here?!" Rick's voice shouted.

"Get out, get out, get out," Barney said. "He's got a bomb. This whole house is rigged."

Lee gripped Rita's shoulder and forced her back out the window. She sprinted ahead, Lee on her heels. Doc and Barney went out after them. No one saw Cody before it was too late.

Rita cried out when the knife plunged into her. She fell to the ground, and Lee was instantly in a fight with Cody. Barney picked up Rita and carried on to the jeep. Doc shot back at the ones following them. Rita felt so much pain, and she started to feel like she couldn't breathe.

Lee sent punch after punch careening into Cody's face and body. Cody had a smirk on his lips as he expertly dodged a shot and knocked Lee down. He went to shoot when Doc managed to get him in his sights. Lee rolled out of the way when Cody fell. Then he was on his feet and racing after Barney. His mind was screaming at him in anger and rage for even letting Rita come with them. He'd known better.

"RITA!" he shouted. Barney had taken her far enough away into the tall grass where he'd set her down. Lee crashed onto his knees beside her. Barney had already removed the knife. Lee pressed his hands on her wound, feeling her blood slide onto them.

"Rita," he said again as she stared up at him, choking. "Come on, luv, don't leave me."

Cage and Gunner had found them at this point, and they stood back with Doc and Barney, watching. Even Gunner had wet eyes when he watched his friend start to cry.

"Come on," Lee begged, placing a hand on her face while the other was still pressed on her wound. "Come ON!"

"It's...okay," Rita managed to say, echoing the words Lee had once said to her as he died during one of her resets in the War.

"It's not okay," Lee shook his head. "You have to stay with me." Rita swallowed, trying to tell him how much she loved him, but she couldn't get the words out. Instead, she turned her face so that it looked directly at Cage. Their eyes met, and she knew he understood. She looked back at Lee.

"Rita," Lee cried, tears openly going down his face now. "Rita!"

Her vision got dark, and then there was nothing.

...

Cage felt his heart break as he watched Lee crying over Rita's dead body. He noticed that the others were watching and looking upset themselves. They probably had never seen Lee this emotional before, he figured. Cage had received Rita's nonverbal message, and he pulled out his gun. He knew exactly what to do.

"What are you doing?" Gunner asked immediately, seeing him do this. Lee looked up at Cage then, who put the gun to his own temple.

"Cage," Barney started.

"It'll be okay," Cage said softly to Lee. Then he pulled the trigger.

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	8. Chapter 8

**24 Hours Earlier**

Lee opened his eyes and immediately knew that Rita was not beside him. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, debating on whether he would get up or just stay down for a while longer.

"Ah, shit!"

His decision was made. He got up quickly and headed down to where Rita was bent over wincing in pain.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Knife slipped," she muttered. She was clutching her one hand with the other. Lee saw drops of blood on the floor leading from the door.

"Let me see," he ordered. She straightened and turned to face him; he took her hand gently in his. She had sliced down the inside of her hand from her thumb to her wrist pretty good. He wondered how she had done that.

"What were you cutting?" he asked, looking around. There wasn't anything in sight.

"I wasn't cooking," she answered, not looking at him. Truth be told, she had been practising throwing knives. Her reminiscing had gotten the best of her. The tip of the blade had sliced her right after she had thrown it.

"I see," Lee said, pressing his lips together to stop from saying anything further. They walked to the bathroom together, Lee still holding her hand. He reached around for gauze and peroxide.

"This'll hurt," he warned, opening the cap.

"It's not my first time," she sighed. Then she grunted in pain as he poured it on her wound. She pressed her face into his bare chest, and Lee was startled for a moment. It was the first physical contact they'd had in a while now. He wondered if she realized it.

"Here we go," he said softly, wrapping it up. When he was finished, she lifted her head and looked at it.

"That was stupid of me," she muttered. Lee moved to put everything away as she stood there staring at her hand.

"You wanna tell me why you were knife tossing?" he finally asked, shutting the drawer and staring at her.

"For old times," she answered sarcastically.

"Old times?"

"I dunno, for fun? It just happened."

"Rita..."

"Don't start," she warned. She went to move away from him when he grabbed her arms and pushed her against the door. Without saying anything, he kissed her hard. Rita was taken aback, and for a moment, she let him. It almost felt like before. Almost.

"Rita," he said when she pulled away.

"I'm sorry." She walked back to the kitchen.

"Do you still love me?" he called after her, making her stop in her tracks. She felt tears threatening to fall. Did she?

...

Rita drove around for a while, thinking.

_Do you still love me?_

She tried to picture her life without Lee in it, and she knew damn well she couldn't. She did love him, so why couldn't she have just told him so? Instead, she had run away, claiming she needed to get groceries of all things. She thought about their life and how things had changed since Eli was born. She didn't resent her child at all. She sometimes just felt like she'd missed out on something. She found herself at a lake that afternoon, and she sat on the sand and remembered the first time she and Lee had instigated going farther in their relationship. She smiled. It had been amazing. She sighed, looking at the waves. Who was she kidding. She was meant to be with Lee. They were meant for each other. She hoped he wasn't too upset with her right now.

...

Lee had hung up with Barney, shaking his head. His friend was a funny guy sometimes. He was glad the team had been successful in their mission and were on their way home. He had turned down Barney's offer to visit. He wasn't in the mood. Eli was crawling around the living room and playing with his toys. Lee sat and watched, wondering if things would be different if he and Rita had never met at all. He definitely wouldn't be feeling this pain, that was for sure. He looked at the clock. Five hours had gone by.

"MUMUMUMUM!" Eli started to howl.

"She'll be back," Lee promised. He wanted to believe that. He really did.

...

Rita drove up their driveway slowly and parked, sitting and staring at their house. She thought back to the when they had rebuilt it. She had never seen anything more sexier than Lee wielding a hammer shirtless on the roof. She smiled. He was a very handsome man, and smart. He took care of them all with everything he had, and she knew he'd die for them too. She got out, shutting the door quietly. She walked up to the window and looked in, seeing Lee with his head in his hands at the table while Eli smeared around some food on the high chair and his face. She opened the front door and walked in, closing it with a loud bang. She dropped her purse and took off her coat when Lee appeared.

"Hey," he said. Rita noticed he looked uncertain, afraid almost.

"Hi," she said back.

"MUMMA!"

"He's been after you all day," Lee explained. Rita went to see her son, who was reaching for her desperately.

"My messy boy," she smiled, grabbing the cloth to wipe his face off before picking him up and cuddling him. Lee observed from the doorway as Rita kissed Eli's head and playfully bounced him as she walked to the other room. Lee decided to leave her alone, and started tidying up after texting Barney to say she'd come home. They'd talk later.

...

The evening was uneventful. Rita put Eli down for bed after he'd crashed amongst his toys. She went into their room and saw Lee watching the news. She paused when she saw what it was saying.

"A terrorist attack was swiftly derailed today as William Cage took it upon himself to stop the group from attacking the Royals. Police were called to a house where they found a tunnel leading right to them. It's assumed they were going to attack from underground. There were multiple casualties..."

"What are people thinking," Lee muttered, shaking his head. "Honestly."

Rita was staring at Cage's picture, knowing he was vaguely familiar. Good for him to have stopped an attack. She shivered, wondering what would have happened if he hadn't. She looked at Lee then, and took in everything about him as he watched the TV. Eventually, she moved to turn it off, surprising him.

"Is it bothering you?" he asked.

"No," she shook her head. "I just wanted to talk to you."

"Okay," he nodded. He felt tense. He had no idea what she was going to say. Was it over? Was she really done? Did she really not love him anymore? He braced himself for impact. She got positioned on the bed so that she was on her knees beside him.

"Do you regret any of this?" she asked. Confused, he shook his head.

"No," he answered. "I don't. Do you?"

"No," she smiled. "For a while I got lost, but I think...I think it's okay. I'm sorry I scared you. Everything just overwhelmed me. I do love you, Lee. I always will. I love our life. I wouldn't trade it for anything."

She moved so that she was on top of him, crashing her lips into his. Lee recovered from his surprise quickly and pulled her into him. This was familiar. This was his Rita. She really was back.

**The Next Day **

Lee awoke with Rita on his chest. He smiled to himself as he remembered the night before. He had forgotten just how amazing she was. His phone buzzed, making him look at it.

**The boys wanna say hi. All clear? **Barney asked.

**Give us an hour**, Lee responded. He shifted, causing Rita to open her eyes.

"Good morning," she smiled.

"Hey, yourself," he grinned back.

"I missed that," she said, giving him another kiss.

"You and me both," he agreed. She slid off him then, going to their washroom. He sat up and surveyed the untucked bed sheets and clothes everywhere. Yes indeed, it had been perfect.

"The boys wanna say hey," Lee called as she started the shower.

"All right."

He joined her then, hopping in with her and sliding his hands across her stomach.

"We've got time," he said in her ear.

"You read my mind," she replied, turning to face him.

...

Rita opened the door to let Barney and the others inside. He gave her a dutiful kiss on the cheek.

"You look lovely as always," he winked.

"Thanks, Barney," she smiled.

"Where's the old guy, huh?" he asked, moving past her.

"I am not old," Lee retorted "You're the one who's old."

"Says who?"

"Says everyone else," Lee grinned. Toll fist bumped him while Gunner and Doc took a seat at the counter. Eli was in his high chair for lunch. Toll went over and started tickling his feet, making him squeal with laughter.

"You're his favorite," Rita told him as she passed, making Toll grin.

"I told you," he said to Doc.

"I never questioned it," Doc argued, holding his hands up.

"So, how are you guys?" Barney asked Lee quietly as they observed Rita and Toll talking about Eli.

"We're fine," Lee answered. "Just a rough patch."

"It happens. Just never forget what got you guys together in the first place," Barney said.

"I don't," Lee said, looking at her fondly.

"You guys want a beer?" she asked then, making the guys cheer. Laughing, she pulled out the bottles and handed them around. Lee slipped his arm around her waist then.

A knock sounded on the door in that moment.

"I got it," Lee said, pulling away. He opened the door and saw no one. Puzzled, he stepped out, looking around. No one was in sight. He looked down and saw an envelope on the ground at his feet. He picked it up and noticed Rita's name on the front. Turning it over, there weren't any other names on it. He was still looking at it when he went back inside.

"What's that?" Rita asked.

"It's for you," he answered. She frowned, taking it.

"Strange," she said.

"I know."

She opened it carefully and slid out a letter.

_Rita,_

_You won't remember me, but I remember you. Together we stopped the Omega from destroying Earth during the War. Why am I telling you this? Well, because I didn't stop those terrorists alone yesterday. You see, I still have the power to reset the day, and without all of you helping, I wouldn't have known what was going on. They would have used me as their weapon and gotten what they wanted. Don't worry, it only took me one try after the first time to stop them. I hope I'm not scaring you. I promise I'm not lying. Anyway, a long time ago you asked me, "What does it matter what happens to me?" and I didn't know how to respond. I do now. It matters what happens to you because you have a family and a life that you deserve. If I had let you die back in the War or yesterday, Lee would be a broken man. I saw that firsthand. He really loves you, and you really love him._

_I'm moving on. I decided to leave England and go back to the States. I convinced Dr. Carter not to publish his book as I don't want the world to know such a power even exists. I made sure no one from Rick's team survived. So now no one else even knows that I still have it, Rita, so please keep it to yourself. Maybe we'll see each other again in another life._

_Cage_

"Rita?" Lee asked, looking at her when she finished. The others were watching as well.

"It's nothing," she replied, clearing her throat and sliding it into her back pocket. She hoped Lee understood her message she was giving him.

_Not here._

"All right," he said casually, getting it. She smiled, and everyone went back to talking and laughing. Her thoughts were racing. Cage had reset the day. She had done yesterday before. She suddenly couldn't breathe.

"Excuse me," she said, going upstairs. Before long, Lee joined her.

"What's going on?" he asked. She turned to look at him.

"Do you remember the man I told you about who said we knew each other in a different life?" she asked carefully. Lee searched his memory, and he found it.

"Sort of."

"I think this is from him," she said, handing him the letter. Lee read it quickly, and he looked up at her when he was done, frowning.

"What does it mean?"

"It means we lived yesterday before. We discovered the attack on the Royals. We were there," she said. "It means that...I died. He reset the day to bring me back." She felt very cold suddenly. Lee stood there feeling shocked. He hadn't ever thought he'd experience this again.

"So, we helped figure out this attack?" he asked slowly.

"That's what he's saying," Rita nodded. He sank down onto the bed.

"You died?"

"I think so."

"I don't believe this," Lee said. Rita sat down beside him. "Why would he tell you?"

"I think he just wanted me to know that he didn't do it alone, either times. So you were right. I did help kill the Omega in the end."

"You died," Lee repeated. He knew he'd never remember it, but he could only imagine what that would have been like.

"I died a lot in the War," she pointed out. He looked at her sharply.

"But I don't remember," he said. "I hate this bullshit."

"He's gone. It won't happen again," Rita told him urgently. "We're here, right now. You and me. That's what he wanted. That's why he reset the day, to give us our lives back."

Lee swallowed hard and considered what she was saying. This Cage fellow obviously couldn't stand seeing him in pain when Rita was killed. He must have cared about Rita as well, which bothered Lee a little bit. Rita took his face in her hands then, making him look at her.

"It's over," she said, searching his eyes.

"I know you're right, but it's going to take me a little bit to process it," he told her.

"Okay."

She went to pull away when he caught her lips with his. He had a sudden urge to feel her on his skin, just to make sure she was really okay.

"We have company," she laughed as he pushed her down onto the bed.

"I don't care."

"I do," she argued, putting her hand over his mouth to stop him from kissing her again. "I love you, but I don't want your friends knowing we're doing it up here."

"They're probably already thinking it," Lee pointed out.

"Later," she promised, squeezing his hips to make her point. He reluctantly released her, wishing Barney would sod off already. He wanted his wife.

"Eli is standing," Barney said when they came back down.

"What?!" Rita exclaimed. She rushed to see. Lee was just as eager. Eli had been crawling for a while, but he had yet to find his legs. Toll was sitting with Eli standing in front of him. He had his hands out in case Eli toppled.

"Look at you," Rita gushed, joining them. "Are you standing?!"

"No, I'm sitting," Toll teased. She swatted him, laughing. Eli beamed at her. He looked around at everyone, and Lee felt his heart twinge. He was suddenly overwhelmed with how beautiful this scene was, his wife and son surrounded by his best friends. Rita caught his gaze and smiled, and he gave her his crooked grin back before she put her attention back on Eli. He wished he could thank Cage for giving them their lives back. Lee leaned on the wall and kept watching. He wouldn't trade any of this for anything, not in a million years.

**To Be Continued**

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**Stay tuned for my fourth and final story of this series! Please leave a review!**


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